The projection of visual communication and design is scattered throughout all facets of media. The ability to encode and interpret a message is the foundation in which Graphic Design sits upon. Taking its natural course, Graphic Design has gravitated into the chaos that is social media, creating expressive and expansive outlets for creators and brands to produce.
Best explained by Fanny Suhendra stating : “In an era of social media and participatory culture, the blurring of the boundaries between producers, consumption and audiences through the phenomenon of ‘produsage’ can offer rich, contextualised insights into the impact of the designed aspects of campaigns”
I’m thinking of pitching a digital artefact centred around Graphic Design. Social Media and other sites such as Canva, Redbubble, Etsy etc. grant producers and creators the ability to monetise their works. Designers are able to gain followers as well as physical interaction and social media engagement with their works.
Social Media now depends on graphic design through engagement. Its key role in marketing and branding efforts are utilised and distributed through corporations meeting their target audiences thoroughly through Social Media outlets. The affordances through this niche include a sense of an artistic community, a gathering of creators sharing and interacting with each other’s art. Different applications allow for anyone to design, specifically Adobe software ; Illustrator, InDesign, photoshop etc. Having the ability to promote one’s work is an amazing attribute to eventually monetising content.
Satori Graphics provides an insightful resource for beginner designers creating an instagram presence
My research will utilise numerous ethnographic study skills in the process of investigating the “societies and cultures” of Graphic Designers, “by examining human, interpersonal, social and cultural aspects in all their complexity” (Shagrir 2016). My auto-ethnographic approach will also correlate with my participatory observation. By remaining observant, I will be able to explore the persona’s of Instagram users- creating a digital artefact that provides greater public understanding into the “intensive language and culture learning” (Genzuk 1999) of the identified niche.
Genzuk, Michael 1999, Effective Strategies for English Language Acquisition: A Curriculum Guide for the Development of Teachers, Grades Kindergarten through Eight. Los Angeles Annenberg Metropolitian Project/ARCO Foundation. Los Angeles.
Shagrir, Leah 2016, Journey to Ethnographic Research, Springer International Publishing AG.
Suhendra, F., Wragg, N. and Barnes, C., 2020. Social Media Research and the Impact of Graphic Design: a case study examining an Indonesian political campaign.. [online] DRS Digital Library.
-- Cait Achenza -- 